Chaeles w



0. W.. STRINGHAM.

(No-Model.)

GAR BRAKE.

Patented Jan.

CHARLES W. STRTNGHAM, OF BROOKLYN, NEV YORK.

'CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 310,965, dated January20, 1885.

Application filed May 24, 1884. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. STRING- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gar-Brakes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car brakes for street-cars, or that class ofcars in which the axle'bearings are fastened to the car-body; and itconsists of certain novel improvements in the construction of the brakeapparatus by which the power is applied thereto bythe foot of thedriver, leaving his hands freeto permit of the better performance of hisarduous duties. It also embraces the substitution for the ordinarybrake-shoes and the attendant complicated system of levers, ofbrake-drums secured to the axles, and bands surrounding the same,connected to and actuated by a bar placed longitudinally under thecenter of the car-body, in communication with treadles located at theends of the cars.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figurel is a longitudinal section of the lower part of a street'canshowing myimproved brake apparatus applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a view lookingtoward the bottom of the car. Fig. 3 is a front view of one ofthebrakes,on the line 90 00. Fig. 4 is a top view of the same, and Fig.'5 is a similar view showing a modification.

To each of the axles 2 2, at the central part thereof, is secured abrake-drum, or, provided with side flanges to hold the brake-bands b bin position thereon. ers c c fitted so as to rotate freely on bolts orpins passed through eyes formed in their ends. These rollers rest on thebrake-drums aa, and support the bands I) b clear of the drums when thebrakes are open, their object being to avoid frictional contact betweenthe drums and bands at such times. These brake drums and bands, beingcarried by the axles, have no vertical play, and as the bands have to beoperated from the car-body,which varies in its distance from the axlesaccording to the load carried,

one end of each of the brake-bands is held and f controlled by the linksat (Z, which at one end The bands I) b have roll-' pivoted at the otherend to the bracket 6, secured to one of the transverse floortimbers 10of the car-body. These links d d, when in their mean positions beinghorizontal, permit of vertical play between the car-body and axleswithout materially changing the positions of the ends of the bands bb,which they control relatively to the axles. The free ends of thebrake-bands b b are connected to the longitudinal bar f, which ispreferably made of channel-iron, as being light and strong, by

means of the links 9 g, which act in a similar manner to the links (1 d,to permit of vertical play between the bar f and the brakes, said barbeing fitted to slide longitudinally in bear- 6 5 to the bar by boltspassing through slotted holes therein, thereby providing a means foradjusting the brake-bands so as to properly grip the drums a a in firstapplying the apparatus to cars, and to adjust the same as the partsbecome worn.

To cause the brakebands b b to grip the drums a a, the bar f has to bemoved in the direction indicated by the arrow, and said bar has in somecases to be operated from both ends of the car. To accomplish this, oneend of the bar f is pivoted to the short arm of a bell-crank comprisinga downwardly-projecting arm, 1', secured on the end of a shaft fitted inthe casting i, secured to the platform 104, and arm i fastened to theother end of this shaft. This arm i is provided with a stud, 2',arranged to be about flush with the top of the platform when the brakesare open. A similar bell-crank system composed of the short arm j,bearing casting j, and long arm a reversed position to that occupied bythe 5 other one, so that when the outer ends of either of the long arms11 or j are depressed the bar is moved in the same direction to tightenthe bands I) b' on the drums a a, as indicated 50 fit over the bolt orpin of the roller 0, and are by the arrow.

T0 depress the outer ends of the long arms i and 3' treadles k and Z,which are hinged at the junction of the dash-guard 111 and platform104t,are respectively provided with studs or projections k and Z, whichcome in contact with the stud i or j of the bell-cranks, and so tightenthe brake-bands on the drum when the weight of the driver or brakeman isapplied to the one of the treadles in use. As a rule, only one of thefoot-treadles will be in use at one ti me; the other one would then bein the way if left in its operative position. To guard against thisinconvenience, they are adapted to be moved up flat with the dashguard,and be there held by means of a hook or button, k" or Z so that theplatforms are then clear, as the studs 011 the bell-cranks never projectabove the same. The treadle Z is shown in use, and the other one, k,locked in position out of use against the dashboard.

To hold the brakes open, a spring. m, is fastened to the barf and thebody of the car. A spiral spring is shown in the drawings; but any formof spring may be used and applied to any of the working parts, so as tomove the bar in the opposite direction to. that indicated by the arrow.

Instead of the ends of the brake-bands b being supported on thebrake-drums a by means of a roller, 0, fitted between two eyes formed inthem and resting on the body of the drum, as shown in the principalviews of the drawings, they may each be supported by two small rollers,c c, rotating on the bolt, which passes through the end of the band I),turned over to form an eye to hold the bolt, said rollersresti n g onthe peripheries of the flanges of the drum, as shown at Fig. 5.

It is evident that the sliding bar can be operated to apply thebrake-bands b to the drums a by other means than by the foot-levers ortreadles k and Zas, for instance,it may be connected to the ordinaryhand-brake shaft by means of a chain; so I do not wish to confine myinvention to the combination of the footlevers with the form of brakedescribed.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a car-brake, in combination, a footlever or trcadle pivoted on theplatform of the car, and adapted to be moved up against the daslrguardout of the way when not in use. bar placed longitudinally under the car,a bell-crank lever pivoted to the end of the bar, by which it isactuated by the foot-lever, a brake band or bands secured at one end tothe bar and at the other end to the body, and a drum or drums secured tothe axle or axles, and embraced by the brake-bands, substantiall y asand for the purpose set forth.

2. In a car-brake, the combination, with a drum secured to the axle, ofa band surrounding the drum, and anti-friction supportingrollers on theends of the band, by which the same is supported on but held clear'ofthe drum when the brake is open, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

3. In a car-brake, in combination, the footlever k, provided with thestud k, and pivoted to the platform, the hook or button k for holdingthe foot-lever against the dashguard, and the lever or arm of the brakemechanism, provided with the stud 1*, projecting into a hole through theplatform, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In combination, the sliding brake-bar f, the bell-crank 2' i i,connected to end thereof, and the inverted bell-crank j j j", connectedto the other end thereof, the pivoted foot-levers or treadles k and Z,and the spring m, substantially as and for the purpose set set forth.

5. In combination, the drum a, the band I), the rollers c c, the links dd, the links 9 g, and sliding bar f, substantiallyas and for the purposeset forth.

6. In combination, the foot-lever 7c, with projecting stud 7c, thebell-crank M having stud i on arm i and the sliding bar f, connected tothe other arm, 15, substantially as and forthe purpose hereinbefore setforth.

In testimony whereofI have hereunto set my hand, at New York, county andState of New York, this 22d day of May, A. D. 1884.

CHARLES vV. STBINGHAM.

\Vitnesse's: A

H. D. WILLIAMs, ALFRED SHEDLoeK.

